Capital Repertory Theatre engages Jewish consultant to honor script’s heritage

Cantor Emily Short worked with cast of “The Lehman Trilogy” to pay homage to Jewish culture

ALBANY— On the surface, “The Lehman Trilogy” is a story about siblings whose humble beginnings led to unimaginable success, but underneath it’s a story of Jewish heritage across generations. To honor the culture, Capital Repertory Theatre brought in Cantor Emily Short, a Jewish consultant, to work with the actors to better understand the songs and language of the script.

According to Short, “There are many moments in the script where Hebrew language is utilized, where Jewish cultural references are used, as well as Hebrew prayers. We wanted to make sure that they felt confident and comfortable with all of that.”

Short works for The Congregation of Beth Emeth – a reformed synagogue in Albany. She spent five years earning a master’s in sacred music, specializing in Jewish liturgy and culture, which led to her ordination. Combined with her background in theatre performance, this made her the ideal fit for this role.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity. I’m really grateful that theREP is offering this because it’s a chance for me to sit down and share a bit more about my heritage and give really important and informed context to the actors about why this material is important and relevant to our story today,” she said.

“The story of the Lehman Brothers is an incredibly momentous one, and one that still means a lot in 2025. Being able to come in and share my background as a Jewish professional and help them have a deeper understanding of the prayer, the liturgy, and the stories of the Jewish people, I think has really helped inform their vision of this production,” she added.

“The Lehman Trilogy” weaves together nearly two centuries of family history that follows the Lehman brothers’ coming to America in 1844, their journey to outrageous success, and the devasting failure of their banking institution that brings the global economy to its knees.

Kevin McGuire, William Oliver Watkins, and Oliver Wadsworth take up the roles of the siblings. Short said all the actors asked good questions regarding interpreting the text of the script since “one of the most important things in Jewish practice and in Judaism in general is to encourage questions. It was a joy to be able to work with them and learn from them too.”

Tickets are on sale now for the play running until April 6. To purchase your seat, reach out to the Box Office at Proctors in-person or via phone at (518) 346-6204 Tuesday-Saturday 12 p.m.-6 p.m. or by visiting attherep.org.